Tourism, a Lossed Sector

But since February it has not accompanied any group of foreign tourists.

Those who were scheduled to visit Kosovo in the months of March, April and May have cancelled their arrival because of the new coronary pandemic.

So far, under normal conditions we've had to be on the mountain working with foreign tourists. But so far they have cancelled all the groups we had for May, June and July. For now, there are no new demands to come. Apart from the annulments, there were no new requests, Adnani says.

Through his company, “Trek Balkan”, Adnan accompanied groups of international tourists visiting the Kosovo mountains. Adnan works as a guide for both Albania and Montenegro.

The tourists with whom Adnan works usually walk through the familiar mountain paths that connect these three countries.

Besides the job-free guides, the absence of foreign tourists according to Adnan will cause major consequences for the tourism sector, especially the alternative one.

And we take the taxi driver we take to the airport to the hotel, then with a mountain car to send them to the mountains, those mountain houses all over Kosovo where there are activities and the tour guides we who are yes, but also the one who is committed to carrying our suitcases with horses and to the one who catches honey and cheese for tourists, that chain is now on the pause, there is no activity right now, says Adnan.

While Adnan expects the first teams of foreign tourists to be notified, many businesses and tourist organizations will hardly survive the time of the pandemic.

Tourism Rescue Plan

Bucky Hoti from the Kosovo Alternative Tourism Association é (SHTAK) says the lack of tourists has affected the entire tourism sector and that recovery will be very difficult without the assistance of institutions.

The “is one of the most affected sectors in view of the involvement this sector has, given the share of transportation, accommodation, coffee shop, gastronomy, tourist agencies. So it's a very broad sector that's affected many segments. This sector has been completely closed since the first day of the pandemic and we have not yet managed to open up the sector as a whole. Despite the opening this sector requires another approach which will open and develop this sector”, Hoti said.

Hoti says the Kosovo Alternative Tourism Association has envisioned a plan for restoring the tourism sector after the pandemic. The plan has been handed over to the government.

The plan's first request is to subtract T V The US out of 18% to 8% for the accommodation sector, creating credit conditions with low interest rates for the tourism and hotel sector, and postponing loans for these businesses by 31 December 2020.

Recuperating the tourism sector according to this organisation would also help make a decision binding on state institutions to organise any conference and activity within Kosovo's territory.

For this tourism sector recovery plan, the Government of Kosovo has not returned and is not known if it will be taken into account.

In recent years Kosovo has had increased numbers of foreign tourists, but mainly according to experts domino domestic tourism.

According to data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency: (ASK), in 2018 Kosovo has had 300,803 visitors with 476,446 nat stay.

Global tourism suffered 70% decline

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, international tourism is projected this year to drop by about 70 percent, which marks the largest decline in the sector since 1950.

Given the scenarios the World Tourism Organisation envisions, this sector could face loss of 850 million to 1.1 billion international tourists, and could put 100 to 120 thousand jobs at risk directly.

The recovery of the tourism sector according to World Tourism Organisation projections is expected to begin in the last three months of this year, but mainly in 2021.

In the last quarter of this year, it is envisioned that, as a result of the departure of restrictive measures and the opening of borders, international travel begins, especially for family and friends. /Rel